Callus remover

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a callus remover with a handle, a head piece ( 1 ) attached to the handle, and a fixing device ( 2 ) for mounting a blade ( 5 ) between the head piece and the fixing device, where the cutting edge of a blade fixed in its intended working position is preceded in the working direction by an area for contact with the body part of a user of the callus remover requiring treatment. To provide a callus remover that is particularly safe to use, and which additionally enables the most precisely defined possible removal of a callused skin layer, the callus remover is provided with a region preceding the blade that is designed as a pressure plate ( 13 ), the surface of which can be placed against the body part to be treated. The pressure plate can be of flat design and extend at least up to the cutting edge of the blade. The pressure plate can be limited on both sides by protrusions ( 16 ) and taper towards the cutting edge of the blade (FIG.  1   a ).

The invention relates to a callus remover with a handle, a head piece attached to the handle, and a fixing device for mounting a shaving blade between the head piece and the fixing device, where the callus remover is provided with a contact surface which comes into contact with the body part requiring treatment and which, in the working direction, precedes the cutting edge of an associated blade that must be fixed in its intended working position.

Callus removers of this kind are known in a variety of configurations, and mostly serve to remove a user's callused skin, which usually forms on the hands and feet.

The known callus removers are often associated with the problem that, although they reliably remove calluses, they can pose a considerable risk of injury to the user in the form of cuts, if not used properly or cautiously, such injury being most common when the callus remover is positioned incorrectly on the body surface to be treated. This applies in particular if the callus remover is used only occasionally. While suitable features are sometimes provided to cover the blade when it is not in use, in order to rule out the risk of injury, these features do not relate to the safety of the callus remover when it is in use. It must further be considered that a callus remover is frequently used by untrained personnel, meaning that it must be easy to operate.

Therefore, the object of the invention is to design a callus remover that at least very extensively excludes the risk of injury during use, and is easy to operate.

The object is solved by a callus remover in which the area of the callus remover preceding the blade is designed in the form of a pressure plate. The pressure plate is preferably part of the head piece, although the fixing device can also be designed accordingly. The pressure plate creates a surface area on the callus remover that can be placed against the body part to be treated, this area preferably being located immediately in front of the blade so that, by pressing the pressure plate of the callus remover against the body part to be treated, the blade is in its intended working position in terms of its angle. Furthermore, the shape of the pressure plate defines the working angle of the callus remover—and thus also that of the blade—against the body surface to be treated. Consequently, it is impossible to significantly alter the working angle without the shaving blade losing contact with the layers of callused skin to be removed. In this context, a sufficiently dimensioned extension of the pressure plate in the working direction and/or a sufficiently dimensioned surface area of the pressure plate ensures that the area of skin located in front of the blade, and to be removed, is brought into the optimum position in relation to the blade, in that, for example, the user's skin, or underlying body layers, give way to the pressure on the callus remover and are thus brought by the pressure plate into the desired position in relation to the cutting edge of the blade. In contrast, the known callus removers have only a linear contact area against the body part to be treated, which moreover is usually farther away from the cutting edge of the blade and separated by guide bevels in front of the blade, which run down at an angle from the contact area towards the blade. As a result, a permanently defined position of the cutting edge in relation to the body part to be treated—in other words a defined cutting geometry—is not ensured, because, by pivoting the callus remover, the blade shifts into different working angles in relation to the body part to be treated. With the pressure plate according to the invention, a safety blade is thus produced that largely or completely rules out the possibility of injuring healthy, elastic skin.

Of course, the head piece and the fixing device of the callus remover can also be of one-piece design.

Advantageous configurations result from the sub-claims.

The pressure plate preferably extends in the working direction to within approx. 2 mm, or approx. 1 mm to approx. 0.5 mm or less, of the cutting edge of the blade, preferably to within less than approx. ⅛ mm, or to within approx. one or two times the thickness of a standard callus remover blade or less. In this context, the pressure plate can, in particular, extend up to the blade, except for a web or guide area that is narrow compared to the extension of the pressure plate and the length of which in the working direction can be less than 25%, or less than 5 to 10%, of the length of the pressure plate. In this case, when the callus remover is placed against the skin, the web or guide area no longer comes into direct contact with the callused skin to be removed if no manual force is applied, or if the normal pressure during the shaving process is applied. If appropriate, the pressure plate can also extend up to the blade, except for a gap provided between the pressure plate and the cutting edge, where the gap width can take on the values specified above, from approx. 1 mm to 0.5 mm up to a value equal to the thickness of the blade or less. If a gap is provided, the pressure plate preferably extends right up to it.

In a particularly preferred configuration, the pressure plate extends in the working direction right up to the cutting edge of the blade, i.e. up to the level of the cutting edge in the working direction; or the pressure plate extends over the blade in the direction of the end of the callus remover opposite the handle, on the back of the blade, which is the side of the blade facing away from the surface to be treated. As a result, the skin on the body part to be treated can be guided up to the cutting edge of the blade by the pressure plate in a defined manner, which permits particularly defined control of the cutting depth and reliably prevents injuries.

Furthermore, the pressure plate is preferably designed such that, when the callus remover is lying “on its back” (i.e. looking at the contact area of the callus remover on the body part to be treated), the areas of the callus remover laterally adjacent to the side of the pressure plate, which are further located to the side of the working area of the blade, taper off in the outward direction, where the pressure plate can, if appropriate, be further limited by protrusions described below.

If the area of the pressure plate extending over the blade is angled relative to the area preceding the blade in the working direction, the pressure plate is additionally stiffened and, alternatively or additionally, a defined contact area between the blade and the pressure plate is provided.

In order to provide the most defined working angle possible of the callus remover relative to the body surface to be treated, it has proven to be advantageous if the pressure plate extends in the working direction at least over a partial area of the blade width, preferably in essentially linear fashion, over a length of approx. 3 mm or more, preferably approx. 4 to approx. 5 mm, particularly preferably approx. 7 mm or more. As a result, the skin to be treated can be in contact with the callus remover over a comparatively long distance. The essentially or exactly linear contact area is preferably located in the middle of the blade working area, or over several, laterally separated partial areas, or preferably over the entire lateral extension of the blade working area. For the purpose of this invention, the blade working area is the area of the blade's cutting edge that comes into contact with the skin in shaving action.

The extension of the pressure plate in the middle of the blade working area is preferably approx. 50 to 75% or more, preferably approx. 100% greater than the longitudinal extension of the pressure plate along the lateral limits of the blade working area.

Furthermore, it has proven to be preferable for the pressure plate to extend along the lateral limits of the blade working area up to an area spaced apart from the cutting edge in the working direction of the callus remover, for example by a distance of approx. 3 mm or more, preferably approx. 4 to 6 mm or more, so that defined guidance of the skin to be treated up to the blade, in other words a defined blade working angle, is always ensured even at the lateral limits of the blade working area.

The pressure plate preferably extends over a width of the blade working area equal to approx. 4 mm or more, preferably approx. 5 mm to approx. 8 mm, where the extension of the pressure plate in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover can be approx. 4 to 8 mm, or up to 10 mm, without being limited to these values. In this context, the pressure plate can extend over part of the width of the blade working area, e.g. approx. 50% or more, or over its entire width.

The ratio of width (extension parallel to the cutting edge) to length (extension in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover) of the pressure plate can be ≦3:1, preferably ≦2:1, particularly preferably ≦1.5:1. The width of the pressure plate can thus essentially be equal to its length.

The pressure plate can be curved transverse to the longitudinal direction of the callus remover, where the curve preferably has a radius of curvature that is less than that of the blade curvature. In the longitudinal direction of the callus remover, i.e. in the working direction, and over at least a partial area of the width of the blade working area, for example in the middle of the blade working area, the pressure plate can also extend in linear fashion or similarly be curved, preferably with a curvature that is smaller than or equal to the curvature of the pressure plate in the transverse direction. If appropriate, the pressure plate can also extend in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover in essentially linear fashion, or with a smaller curvature than the blade curvature, in the middle of the blade working area. The linearly extending pressure area can provide linear or surface contact with the body part to be treated. Particularly in combination with the above, the end of the pressure plate facing the cutting edge of the blade preferably extends over a partial area or the entire working area in linear fashion, or with a curvature equal to or less than the curvature of cross-sectional areas of the pressure plate that are farther away from the cutting edge. The pressure plate is particularly preferably of at least essentially, or exactly, flat design over its entire extension in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction, where the blade can, if appropriate, be curved transverse to the longitudinal direction of the callus remover.

A partial area of the pressure plate, particularly the area immediately facing the blade, or the entire longitudinal extension of the pressure plate, preferably extends parallel to the working direction, i.e. to the shaving direction of the callus remover when handled as intended. If the pressure plate is curved, it is preferably designed such that a tangential contact surface at the middle of the pressure plate, particularly the area immediately in front of the cutting blade, extends parallel to the working direction.

The surface area of the pressure plate is preferably ≧30 mm², preferably ≧40 to 50 mm², particularly preferably 60 to 70 mm², without being limited to these values. As a result of these comparatively large pressure plates—in contrast to the known webs in front of the cutting blade, which only provide an essentially linear contact surface—it is easier to guide the callus remover at a defined angle to the surface requiring treatment. In other words, uniform guidance of the skin to the cutting blade is ensured due to the elasticity of healthy skin layers, meaning those that are not callused or only minimally. This effect is not provided by conventionally designed webs with a comparatively small contact surface area.

The pressure plate can be positioned at an angle, at least at the level of the middle of the blade working area, or over the entire blade working area, and it can enclose an angle with the longitudinal extension of the associated blade or the longitudinal extension of the blade mounting area, for example an angle of approx. 3° to approx. 20°, preferably approx. 5° to approx. 15°, particularly approx. 10°, which enables gentle removal of the callused skin layers.

It has proven to be very advantageous for the pressure plate to be limited on both sides over at least part of its length, preferably over its entire longitudinal extension at the level of the lateral limits of the blade working area, by protrusions extending essentially in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover. These protrusions project from the pressure plate in the direction of the body part to be treated. A partial area of the protrusions extends over the height of the cutting edge of the blade in the direction of the surface to be treated. The base of the protrusions is preferably located at the level of the cutting edge and/or at the level of the pressure plate. The protrusions can extend in height up to roughly the part of the working area of the cutting blade with the greatest “vertical” distance to the pressure plate, or up to the height of the cutting edge in the middle of the pressure plate, or beyond it.

The protrusions preferably extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the callus remover, or the protrusions can also be angled relative to it, where the width of the area enclosed between the protrusions can taper towards the blade. The protrusions can end at a distance from the cutting edge, e.g. at a distance greater than or equal to 1 mm, e.g. approx. 2 to 3 mm or up to approx. 5 mm, where the pressure plate extends beyond the protrusions in the direction of the cutting edge. The width of the area of the pressure plate extending beyond the protrusions can taper towards the cutting edge.

The length of the protrusions can be approx. 2 to 6 mm or more, for example approx. 4 mm, without being limited to these values. The projection of the protrusions from the pressure plate can be in the region of 0.5 to 1 mm. Independently of this, it can be ≧50%, 75% or approx. 100% of the maximum distance of the cutting edge from the pressure plate in the region of its curvature, or more if appropriate. As a result, the skin to be treated can be effectively guided to the working area of the blade.

At least the transitional area from the pressure plate to the blade, preferably ≧⅓, ≧½ or the entire longitudinal extension of the pressure plate, is preferably limited on the sides by protrusions projecting towards the body part to be treated, or by indentations, including those in the form of recesses.

In the area in front of the blade, the pressure plate is preferably limited on both sides by recesses, where the recesses can be designed as indentations or areas of thinner material in the respective component, particularly the head piece, or as through-holes in the head piece. The recesses can be located at the level of the protrusions limiting the sides of the pressure plate, between these protrusions and the blade. The width of the recesses can be equal to the width of the protrusions, or exceed it. The recesses preferably widen towards the blade. The recesses can merge into a common recess in the respective component, particularly the head piece, where this recess can simultaneously form another element for mounting the blade, such as a tongue.

The blade can particularly advantageously be mounted on the callus remover under pre-tension and in a curved state transverse to the working direction, where it is preferably mounted between the head piece and the fixing device. In particular, the blade can be pre-tensioned in the region of the cutting edge so that, as a result of the pre-tension, the cutting edge is stabilized during callus removal against the forces altering the height of the cutting area, meaning the vertical distance between the cutting edge and the pressure plate. In this context, the side of the blade facing the surface to be treated preferably lies inside the lateral limits of the working area, preferably in the middle of the working area, under pre-tension against a stop of the mounting area of the callus remover. The blade preferably has linear contact with the stop, which can extend over part or all of the width of the blade working area. In combination with this, or independently of it, a stop preferably acts on the blade simultaneously, on the side of the blade opposite the surface to be treated, where the blade is preferably also pre-tensioned against this stop, meaning that the blade is supported on both sides within the working area, particularly in the middle of the working area. On the lateral ends of the blade working area, the blade can contact the pressure plate, particularly its lateral edges, or be spaced slightly apart from it, e.g. by approx. 1 to 2 times the thickness of the blade or less.

The width of the gap between the pressure plate and the cutting edge preferably declines from the middle area of the pressure plate, where it is at a maximum, towards the lateral edges of the pressure plate. The gap width preferably declines continuously towards the lateral edges of the pressure plate.

Furthermore, the blade is preferably mounted on the head piece with snap elements, where the snap elements interact with the blade, pre-tensioning the blade, particularly pre-tensioning the blade in its working area.

To join the head piece and the fixing device, the former can be provided with a tongue extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle, which engages a catch on the fixing device, where the tongue has an incline, preferably in the form of a stamped protrusion, for sliding the catch into its mounted position. While sliding up the incline, the fixing device is pressed against the blade and/or against the working side of the head piece. The incline can contribute to the snap-mounting of the fixing device. In this context, the snap fit can be achieved by corresponding snap elements. The snap fit can also be achieved by the interaction of different partial areas of the head piece and the fixing device, where changes in the position of partial areas of these components due to elastic restoring forces generated during assembly of the callus remover, as well as elastic restoring forces of the blade itself, may have to be taken into account. The tongue described, or another corresponding partial area of the head piece or fixing device, is preferably also part of the snap connection and further serves to pre-tension the blade in its curved state.

In the lateral direction at the level of the blade working area, the tongue on the head piece for securing the fixing device can be positioned against the blade in the area that is supported, or subject to the force of pre-tension, at the back by an area of the fixing device. In particular, the tongue can also rest against the fixing device even when the blade is removed, so that the blade is held in place firmly, and preferably under pre-tension, when it is in its working position.

The head piece and the fixing device are preferably both provided with guide surfaces on both sides that are angled relative to the pressure plate, so that the fixing device is secured on the head piece in a manner preventing lateral shifting. For this purpose, flexible tongues that act laterally on the other respective component can be provided on the head piece and/or the fixing device.

The callus remover according to the invention is preferably manufactured as a stamped part. The handle of the callus remover can be made of a sterilizable material, such as a sterilizable plastic. The tool area of the callus remover preferably comprises just two components, namely the head piece and the fixing device, where the handle is preferably permanently joined to the head piece, for example by molding on a plastic part.

Thanks to the design of the callus remover with pressure plate according to the invention, the layer thickness of the skin layer to be removed can be set in defined fashion by the space between the pressure plate and the blade, because placing the surface of the pressure plate against the skin results in a defined blade working angle. Therefore, the invention further includes a set of at least two callus removers according to the invention, where at least two or all of the callus removers display different distance between the pressure plate and the cutting edge of the blade in the middle of the blade working area. This distance can be approx. 0.25 mm and approx. 0.5 mm, for example, so that callus removers are available for rough and fine shaving of the respective callused body part. If the pressure plate is spaced apart from the cutting edge in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover, for example by a gap, the distance described above relates to the extension of the pressure plate towards the cutting edge of the blade.

An example of the invention is described below and explained on the basis of the figures. The figures show the following:

FIG. 1 A side view, a top view and a cross-sectional view of the shaving tool of a callus remover according to the invention, shown in a first positioned relative to a surface to be treated,

FIG. 2 A shaving tool as per FIG. 1 in a different position relative to the surface to be treated,

FIG. 3 Different views of a fixing device, designed as a clamping piece, of a callus remover according to the invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show head piece 1, which interacts with a fixing device designed as clamping piece 2 (FIG. 3), where the fixing device can also be mounted on the head piece by other methods. The head piece has a connecting area 3, which can be mounted on a handle, and a working area 4. In this context, blade 5 is held in place in a curved state between head piece 1 and clamping piece 2, which are connected to one another by means of associated fixing elements. To this end, the blade, which can be a conventional callus remover blade, can be placed on clamping piece 2 such that catch 7, projecting from contact surface 6 for the blade, engages a center through-hole in the blade. To fix the blade in place, catch 7 is inserted into through-hole 9 in the head piece, from working side 8 facing the surface to be treated, and slid onto tongue 10. To secure the blade and the clamping piece against lateral shifting, the clamping piece is provided on its sides with upwardly bent edges 11, which reach around the sides of head piece 1. To provide a larger contact surface, head piece 1 is also equipped on its sides with upwardly bent edges 12, which come into lateral contact with surfaces of edges 11, preferably without allowing any play, or under slight pre-tension in the transverse direction. In this context, the contact surfaces of the edges are spaced apart or extended in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover such that lateral pivoting is virtually ruled out. Furthermore, the edges can serve as a manual gripping area for mounting the fixing device on the head piece.

Blade 5, which is curved in its intended working position, is preceded in the working direction (see arrow) by pressure plate 13 according to FIG. 1, where the surface of the pressure plate can be placed against the body part to be treated and the pressure plate extends parallel to the working direction. In this practical example, pressure plate 13 is of flat design. The pressure plate extends up to cutting edge 14, such that the flat area of the pressure plate ends at the level of the cutting edge in the longitudinal direction. Angled end region 15 of the pressure plate reaches over the blade, where the end region stabilizes the pressure plate and can additionally support the blade with its lateral edge areas, although this is not necessarily required. If appropriate, the pressure plate can also end at the level of cutting edge 14 or before it.

As shown in FIG. 2, in order to shave off callused skin, the surface of the pressure plate is placed against the body part to be treated such that blade 5 is positioned at an angle relative to the surface to be removed, at an angle of approx. 10° in this practical example. The large-surface design of the pressure plate not only makes it more difficult for the callus remover to tilt, changing the working angle of the blade relative to the surface requiring treatment, it also ensures that the skin to be removed, to which pressure is applied by the callus remover, is guided up to the cutting edge in a defined manner. The large-surface design of the pressure plate ensures even removal of callused skin, which is further promoted by the fact that the pressure plate ends at the level of the cutting edge or beyond it. Furthermore, the large-surface pressure plate, or its extension in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover, ensures that healthy and therefore elastic skin is not removed by the blade, because excessive blade working angles relative to the skin are prevented; only callused skin, which is relatively inelastic, can come into contact with the blade.

The shape of the callus remover in the region of the pressure plate, particularly the longitudinal extension of the pressure plate, should preferably be dimensioned such that, if the blade working angle changes relative to its intended position by a value greater than or equal to 1 to 10°, or 1 to 15°, or 1 to 20°, for example greater than or equal to 7°, preferably greater than or equal to 1 to 5°, for example greater than or equal to 2 or 3°—where the callus remover and thus the blade are positioned on the skin this much more steeply or less steeply than at the intended working angle, when the area of surface contact between the pressure plate and the skin is at a maximum—then the cutting edge can no longer shave the callused skin, or has no contact with it at all. This can apply, for example, if the callus remover is guided over the skin virtually without any applied pressure, or if the callus remover is guided over the skin with such applied pressure that the callus remover is pressed maximally into the skin, thereby deforming it, where the applied pressure should preferably not exceed the magnitude of applied pressure acceptable for manicure/pedicure conditions. The specified angle can also result from other intended uses of the callus remover. Here, the thickness of the callused skin of the body part is as thick as, or thicker than, the shaving thickness, i.e. the maximum thickness of the shaved-off skin. In the intended working position, the pressure plate in particular can be located essentially parallel to the respective person's skin surface to be treated in its uninfluenced state.

According to the practical example, the pressure plate has a surface area of approx. 60 mm² and extends in the middle of the blade working area over a length D1 of approx. 7 mm, and at its lateral limits over a length D2 of approx. 4 mm, and at the level of the lateral limits of the blade working area over a length D3 of approx. 6 mm. Width D4 of the blade working area is approx. 8 mm, width D5 of the pressure plate being approx. 10 mm, meaning that the ratio of blade working width to pressure plate is ≧1.0 or ≧1.1, preferably approx. 1.25.

Pressure plate 13 is limited on both sides by protrusions 16 projecting towards the surface to be treated, where the length of protrusions 16 in the longitudinal direction of the callus remover is less than the length of pressure plate 13, and protrusions 16 begin behind front end 17 of the pressure plate, more specifically after approx. ≧15% to 35% of the length of the pressure plate, preferably in the front half of the pressure plate in the working direction. As a result of this, the callused skin guided to the cutting edge of the blade is enclosed between the two opposing protrusions 16 such that, because of the rising protrusions 16, virtually only callused skin can be guided up to the cutting edge, and not elastic, non-callused skin. The protrusions further make lateral tilting of the callus remover more difficult, thus resulting in a particularly consistent cutting angle. In this context, the height of the protrusions above the pressure plate can be in the region of 0.25 to 1 mm, the height of the protrusions can be in the region of the material thickness of the respective callus remover component, or in the region of the thickness of the maximum shaved-off skin layer.

Protrusions 16 are separated from the cutting edge by areas 18 of through-hole 19, where a flatter or thinner area of material, i.e. a smaller material thickness, can also be provided instead of a through-hole. The longitudinal extension of the recess in front of the protrusions can be >1 to 2 mm or more, the length can correspond to the length of the protrusions.

The width of pressure plate 13 tapers towards the cutting edge of the blade, where the taper is produced in the practical example by areas 18 of the recess, which widen towards the middle, where the recess in this case is designed as through-hole 9.

Blade 5 is held in place in a curved state and under pre-tension, where the pre-tension is generated in this practical example by the fixing elements that secure the fixing device or clamping piece to the head piece, where other suitable means can also be provided for this purpose. In this context, blade 5 is in contact with strip-shaped lateral areas 20 of the head piece. Strip-shaped lateral areas 21 of the clamping piece are also in contact with the blade on the opposite side, where the blade can also be subjected to pressure by other stops on the clamping piece and/or head piece on one or both of lateral areas 20, 21. Furthermore, in its working area, the blade contacts stop 22 of the fixing device. The contact area is preferably linear and extends over the entire blade working area such that the blade is supported in the direction of the surface to be treated. Furthermore, the blade contacts the side of tongue 10 facing the working side—this also being realizable independently of the feature described above—where tongue 10 preferably makes contact under pre-tension of the blade. Blade 5 can thus be supported on both sides, where one or both support areas is/are under the force of pressure against the blade. In this context, tongue 10 has an angled end 23, such that a linear contact area is likewise provided, the extension of which in the transverse direction is, however, smaller than the contact surface of the fixing device. In this case, the contact surface of tongue 10 occurs approximately or exactly at the level of stop 22, provided in the region of the edge, the distance to it being less than or equal to approx. ¼, or less than or equal to approx. ⅛ of the longitudinal extension of the blade. The distance between stop 22 and the cutting edge of the blade can likewise be less than or equal to ¼ the longitudinal extension of the blade, for example less than 7 mm, e.g. approx. 4 mm.

For securing the clamping piece, tongue 10 has incline 11 a, opposite working side 8, which is designed as a kind of protrusion and on which the lower edge of the through-hole of catch 7, which tongue 10 engages, can rest under the pressure of force. In this context, the snap connection is achieved by the restoring force of tongue 10, generated when the clamping piece is slid onto it, in combination with other contact areas between the clamping piece and the head piece, such as tongues 24, extending in the direction of the handle, which, simultaneously or independently of this, cover the end regions of the cutting edge, and/or pressure areas 25 of the clamping piece on the head piece, which can be designed in the shape of stamped protrusions, or the like. A snap connection can also be achieved in this context without providing any particularly pronounced snap projection on the tongue.

The clamping piece further displays contact surfaces 26 on the front and back end regions of upwardly bent edges 11. Contact surfaces 26 laterally contact the head piece, where the contact surfaces can be essentially punctiform, in order to always provide defined contact areas.

The callus remover can be provided with different cutting depths by varying the distance of the pressure plate from the cutting edge of the blade, particularly by different stamping depths of the same.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   1 Head piece -   2 Fixing device -   3 Connecting area -   4 Working area -   5 Blade -   6 Contact surface -   7 Catch -   8 Working side -   9 Through-hole -   10 Tongue -   11 a Incline -   11 Edge -   12 Edge -   13 Pressure plate -   14 Cutting edge -   15 End region -   16 Protrusion -   17 Front end -   18 Recess -   20 Lateral area -   21 Lateral area -   22 Stop -   23 End -   24 Tongue -   25 Pressure area 

1. Callus remover with a handle, a head piece attached to the handle, and a fixing device for mounting a blade between the head piece and the fixing device, where the callus remover is provided with a contact surface which comes into contact with the body part requiring treatment and which, in the working direction, precedes the cutting edge of an associated blade that must be fixed in its intended working position, characterized in that the area preceding the blade is designed in the form of a pressure plate, the surface of which can be placed against the body part to be treated. 2-22. (Cancelled)
 23. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate is part of the head piece.
 24. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate extends up to the cutting edge of the blade in the working direction, at least over a partial area of the blade width, or it extends beyond the cutting edge towards the free end of the head piece.
 25. Callus remover according to claim 24, characterized in that the area of the pressure plate extending over the blade is angled relative to the area preceding the blade in the working direction.
 26. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate is of flat design.
 27. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that, along the lateral limits of the blade working area, the pressure plate is spaced apart from the cutting edge in the working direction.
 28. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate has a ratio of width to length of less than or equal to 3:1.
 29. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface area of the pressure plate is ≧ approx. 30 mm².
 30. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate encloses an angle of approx. 3° to 20° with the longitudinal extension of the associated blade, at least at the level of the middle of the blade working area.
 31. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the pressure plate tapers towards the cutting edge of the blade.
 32. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate is limited on both sides over at least part of its length by protrusions extending essentially in the working direction.
 33. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure plate is limited by recesses on both sides in the area in front of the blade.
 34. Callus remover according to claim 32, characterized in that the recesses are located at the level of the protrusions, between the protrusions and the blade.
 35. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the side of the blade facing the surface to be treated is supported in the region of the cutting edge, at the level of the blade working area.
 36. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the associated blade is curved transverse to the longitudinal direction of the callus remover and snapped onto the callus remover under pre-tension.
 37. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing device has tongues to the side of the pressure plate, which project in the direction of the handle and cover the associated blade on its lateral end regions.
 38. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that, to secure the fixing device, the head piece is provided with a tongue extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle, which engages a catch on the fixing device that passes through the blade, and in that the tongue has an incline for sliding the catch into its mounted position.
 39. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that, to secure the fixing device, the head piece is provided with a tongue extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle, which engages a catch on the fixing device that passes through the blade, and in that the tongue, on the blade or without the blade, is spaced apart from the fixing device by a distance that is less than the thickness of the blade.
 40. Callus remover according to claim 39, characterized in that the tongue of the head piece contacts the blade on the side opposite the fixing device, in the region of the level of the blade's contact with the fixing device, or in the region of the cutting edge.
 41. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing device, in the region of its end facing the cutting edge, provides a contact surface for the blade at the level of the lateral limits of the blade working area, or between them.
 42. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the head piece has lateral guide areas angled against the surface to be treated, and in that the fixing device has guide surfaces on both sides for contacting the guide areas.
 43. Callus remover according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the callus remover in the region of the pressure plate is dimensioned such that, if the blade working angle changes relative to its intended position by a value greater than or equal to 1 to 20°, the blade no longer has shaving contact with the skin. 